by Jess Chamberlain (Sunset home writer), Emily Chow (Sunset editorial intern) and Natalie Jabbar (Sunset editorial intern)
Here's a belated roundup of some favorite finds at the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco last weekend. It was one of those work scouting trips where it may have been best to have left our wallets at home.
Jess Chamberlain's favorites
Molly M Designs (San Francisco, CA):
I've been a fan of Molly's jewelry since she debuted her work a couple years ago and was thrilled to see she's also now doing artwork too. Formerly an architect for Michelle Kaufmann Designs, Molly shapes her designs with a laser cutter. Organic modern beauty...
Appetite (Portland, Oregon):
I first spotted Appetite textiles at Elsa + Sam in Portland a couple months ago, and then featured them in a roundup on Etsy. I was psyched to meet the designer Erin Albin in person!
Nous Savons (San Francisco, CA):
Nous Savons does mostly jewelry made from vintage pieces but at the fair they also had some cute little garden goods: coco shell much and little seed jars. So cutely styled...
Treatzone (San Francisco, CA):
I loved the vintage (and vintage-looking) paper goods by Treatzone. And the suitcase displays were a fair favorite.
Yokomono Studio (Berkeley, CA):
The home and personal textile goods by the new Yokomono Studio were so popular she didn't have much left by the time I came around at 4pm on Sunday. Check out their Etsy site for more of these beauties.
Emily Chow's favorites
While the black hardcover Moleskines are classic and trendy, these handcrafted cotton printed covers add attitude. Designed to fit the Moleskine Cahier softcover journals, they include an elastic band closure and pencil slot. It’s what every writer needs. Natalie wants to add that she thinks the plant labels are charmingly practical. Notebooks from $24 on Etsy.
Of course, we love her line of pillows, linens, and paper goods, but Meg Mateo Ilasco’s petite terrariums add an elegant and botanical touch to any desk. Read more about her start and her book, Craft Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business, here.
Her apple boxes are as cute in person as they are on this Design*Sponge’s post, but Miss Natalie’s eco-friendly reusable Don’t Forget Me Lunch Bag is my personal favorite. $17 on Etsy.
Jane E. Roberti Handcrafted Jewelry
Made out of copper, aluminum, silver, and brass backed with wood, Jane’s necklaces were exquisite. My favorite was the pendant with the birds perched on a wire.
Jess and I both fell head-over-heels for Brad’s cute designs and his bubbly personality. His fine woodwork is both decorative and functional, and he’s become a Sunset favorite! If his work looks familiar, it’s because former editorial intern Amy Anderson bought a screen print at the Maker Faire a few months ago and blogged about it.
Natalie Jabbar's Favorites
If you are a paper product nut like myself, you will adore the vibrant paper products made by husband and wife Kirk and Eva Jorgensen. Their cards, posters, custom wedding invitations and more are hand printed on a vintage letterpress using eco-friendly materials. It's no wonder the creative folks over at ohdeedoh and poppytalk are big fans of their products as well. Be sure to also check out Eva's artistic musings at her blog.
The Heated's simple yet quirky, hand screen printed dish towels make the perfect housewarming gift. I bought two of these San Francisco-based creations for a dear friend on the East Coast, but I soon realized as I ruefully wrapped them up that I also should have purchased some for myself!
Emily and I both found it hard to resist the affordable and eye-catching jewelry made by Sora Designs. You can find everything from delicate, floral-inspired necklaces and earrings to a bold owl ring at the Etsy shop.
San Francisco's Annie Wilson turns barkcloth—a thick, colorful fabric manufactured from the 1930s to 50s—into one-of-a-kind jackets and accessories. I was a fan of these funky belts and pillows made from barkcloth scraps. If you're looking for a more relaxing slumber, take a look at the Sleepy Time Eye Masks, which are filled with lavender hulls.
Facial hair was all the rage at the Renegade Craft Fair, where a mustache face painting stand stationed at the entrance beckoned children of all ages to aquire whiskers of their own. I couldn't help but fall in love with the felt beards made by Portland-based Erin Dollar. If you¹re going to add some flair to your face, why not stray from your natural hair color and go for the rainbow one?
